Italian artist Salvatore Garau has sold an ‘invisible sculpture’ for the not inconsiderable sum of $18,000. The sculpture is ostensibly intended to ‘activate the viewer’s imagination’ in order to fill the void. Multiple wealthy prospective buyers made bids for Io Sono (I am) back in June, with the eventual owner instructed to display it ‘in a private home free from any obstruction, in an area that is about 5 ft. long by 5 ft. wide’.
The sale of Io Sono will be cold comfort to arts practitioners hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. A paper published by the European Parliament in March predicted dire futures for the continent’s more precarious cultural workers. ‘Facing destitution, many professionals may leave the sector and thousands of institutions may close. With them, accumulated knowledge and skills would be permanently lost.’ Indeed, 200 billion euros ($237 billion) in lost incomes last year has worked to intensify existing inequalities.
